Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Slowly Using Up All Those Previously Cut Pieces !

I had a huge pile of 3 1/2 x 6 1/2 in strips as well as an overstuffed bag with 3 1/2 4 patches.  Usually when making this pattern I use 3 1/2 in x 7 1/2 strips but decided to use what I had.  Between this and the following quilt, I used up over 200 4 patches and actually had to made about 20 more to complete both of them!

This has one block turned around which I subsequently fixed but somehow lost the picture!  It took me 45 minutes to undo and redo as the bad block is on one of the insde spots!

I dug into my 5 inch squares and found enough variety to made this top which has lots of flowers and animals in it.


I am now diving into a huge bag of 60 degree triangles all in purple!!  I have lights, mediums and darks.  I will first make one of my "bagel" style quilts and then not sure as there is probably enough pieces to make several good sized quilts.  This bag of scrap 60 degree triangles is probably close to 30 years old!!  What was I thinking!!





Monday, August 19, 2024

It's Been Far Too Long!!


I had bags of 2 in strips -- blue and brown.  After constructing several  wonky log cabin tops, I decided I would just sew them together and make "fabric".  This fabric is about 70 inches long.  My Bernina does a nice job of sewing strips together without skewing them.

The past month has been busy with a birthday and a lovely visit with my oldest daughter.  Of course, continuing annoyance with new computer add to my avoidance!







 

This is the same size and mostly darker brown.


This is the lighter brown one.
This is the brown wonky long cabin top I made with the darker brown strips.

I decided I would make a traditional log cabin from the strips.  I think I like the wonky one better!

I decided I would make an extra large wonky log cabin from the blues so it will be for a king sized bed.  I will quilt it in two sections to make life easier on myself!

Another way to use those half square triangles and 5 inch squares.  Of course I had to cut those squares down..


This is the first of 2 Jewel box tops that I made using those half square triangles and four patches.  I had made a ton of these 4 patches to use with another top but decided I wanted to try this block.  I made this one using the traditional way of making this block ( four half square triangles surrounded by four patches}.  When I put up on my design wall, I nneded to add 8 inches so decided to expand the pattern all the way around.  I discovered that it was basically a four patch of half square triangles and a sixteen patch between them  It was one heck of a lot easier to piece this way!!  All the versions I have seen of this use white as the background { did see one with black background).  I like my version better!!
This was the second one just finished today.

I did finish this QAYG top.

This was the beginning of another use of those 5 inch squares.  Originally I was going to do a version of this where you have a criss cross but I had a heck of a time keeping it straight and it looked boring with all these ugly fabrics.  I call this my ugly quilt.  I needed something to  pep it up.


 I was very pleased with this use of those fabrics plus a bunch of half square triangles that I had made months ago from some batik 10 in squares from my sister.  I thought the addition of the black really set it off so that the squares don't look so ugly anymore!.


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